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Renewing the Countryside Newsletter
October 2006
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In This Issue
-- This Month's Featured Stories
-- RTC News Flash
-- Resource Pick: Renewable Energy Resources
-- Partner Pick of the Month: Organic Valley Family of Farms -- What We?re Reading: Omnivore's Dilemma -- Where We're Going: Green Bike Tour -- What Does RTC Do?
Welcome to the October Renewing the Countryside newsletter, designed to provide a monthly toolbox of resources, ideas and inspiration for your own efforts and interests in rural revitalization.
Thank you for your continued support of Renewing the Countryside as we celebrate our fifth anniversary this year. Jan Joannides, Executive Director |
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This Month's Featured Stories --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adams Family Farm: Romancing the Farm
Wilmington, VT From the bucolic setting on 210 acres of the sixth generation Adams Family Farm in Wilmington, Vermont, one couldn't imagine more diverse -- and integrated -- enterprises creatively woven together to sustain the land and the farmers who farm it. Jill and Carl Mancivalano own and manage one of Vermont's most popular agritourism attractions, Adams Family Farm, leasing the farmlands from Jill's parents. The energetic couple also produce numerous value-added products made in a commercial kitchen using products grown or raised on the farm or from area farmers.
Crones' Cradle Conserve: Combining Farming, Community
& Conservation
"I think right now we're juggling about eight different businesses here at Crones' Cradle Conserve," Jeri Baldwin says with a smile. From workshops to market gardening, from retreat facilities to value-added products, Jeri's vision as owner and manager of the Conserve is to be an on-going "demonstration project," exemplifying how business can merge caring for the land, community and connecting people with quality food sources and education. |
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RTC News Flash --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RTC Partners with Horizons Communities
On behalf of the Northwest Area Foundation, RTC helped 36 rural communities develop and web publish "Community Portfolios" showcasing their communities' accomplishments and future vision. These communities, ranging geographically from Minnesota west to Washington, can now use these materials for business and resident recruitment, fundraising, tourism and other means of community development. All 36 communities had participated in the Northwest Area Foundation's Horizons Community Leadership Program. The Horizons program helps rural communities of fewer than 5,000 strengthen their leadership systems. It offers comprehensive community leadership programs and activities within communities that, in general, have experienced significant decline in population, income and resources. Green Routes Media Tour Green Routes literally took the show on the Minnesota road this month, organizing a bus tour for journalists, policy makers and community leaders, traveling from Morgan Creek Vineyards near New Ulm to Moonstone Farm near Montevideo. RTC partnered with Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) on this venture which included meetings enroute with various issue experts. With this busload of attendees, the tour aimed to raise public awareness about sustainable tourism, highlight public policy barriers and demonstrate how strategic initiatives like Green Routes can support and enhance local entrepreneurial vision. Visit the Green Routes website. RTC Connects at Conferences Outreach at a variety of educational venues continues to be a RTC goal. Jan Joannides and Brett Olson will be presenting at the upcoming Simple Living America Conference in Washington and Christy James gave a workshop on Green Routes and sustainable tourism at the Northland Bioneers Conference in Minnesota. Project & People Updates New faces joined RTC this fall. Margaret Schnieders, a student at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, is assisting with RTC financial management. Gina Rutter, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute, offers her expertise with the Green Routes initiative. The Youth Book continues to progress as a team of talented writers and photographers traverse the country capturing the vibrant, positive story of today's rural youth. David Holman spent most of September traveling from Minnesota to Maine capturing stories along the way. Nathallie Jordi just began her trek from California to Florida to capture stories in the Southwest and South.
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Resource Pick: Renewable Energy Resources ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resource Pick: Renewable Energy Resources
As winter dawns and energy costs rise, renewable energy continues to be a topic of interest and, fortunately, increasingly accessible information and resources. The following provides a listing of helpful websites to get you started exploring renewable energy: Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE): Locate what incentives or renewable energy rebates might be available in your area. Windustry: From large-scale to small residential wind turbine systems, this nonprofit program offers extensive wind turbine information and the ability to locate systems throughout the U.S. US Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Portal: A gateway to online documents and resources for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
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Partner Pick of the Month: Organic Valley Family of Farms --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organic Valley Family of Farms continues to lead sustainable
agriculture as one of the nation's leading organic brands with
over 800 farmer-members from over 25 states and one
Canadian province. Such success of this cooperatively run
company stems not from a sole focus on profits, but a long-
term vision of the health and well-being of its farmer
members, the land they steward and public education about the
importance of organic agriculture and food choices. With a
dedication to public outreach, Organic Valley partnered with
RTC and the Wedge Community Co-op in producing the "Healthy
Local Food" exhibit at the first-ever "Eco Experience" at this
year's Minnesota State Fair. Organic Valley has also been
instrumental in providing assistance and resources for both
beginning organic dairy farmers and conventional farmers
transitioning to organic.
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What We?re Reading: Omnivore's Dilemma --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Journey up and down the food chain with author Michael
Pollan's analysis of the state of industrial farming, organic
food, small scale agriculture and the slew of politics and
business in between. Both a statistical wake-up call (e.g., of
the
45,000
items in the supermarket, more than a quarter contain corn)
and inspiring call for local foods, Omnivore's Dilemma provides
engaging new
perspectives and insights on how and what we eat, even for the
seasoned foodie. Pollan peppers analysis of various "meals"
throughout the book -- from a cheeseburger and fries from
McDonalds to foraged wild mushrooms and pork -- moving
readers to view eating much deeper as simply food on a plate.
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Where We're Going: Green Bike Tour --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This month, experience "travel" through the eyes of RTC
newsletter reader and faculty at the University of Iowa, David
Osterberg. David is one of the organizers of the Green Bike
Tour. The Green Bike Tour brings together an energetic group of
dedicated environmental activists who use solar-powered
bicycles to draw attention to operating examples of renewable
energy around the world. Well-organized tour schedules stop at
various green energy efforts and educational outlets, garnering
strong media coverage for alternative fuels and energy
sources.
"Ride along" with David and his mission-driven biking friends through their daily blog.
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What Does RTC Do? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Renewing the Countryside is a 501(c)3 non-profit
that strengthens rural areas by championing and
supporting farmers, artists, entrepreneurs,
educators, activists, and others who are
revitalizing the countryside through innovative
endeavors. We build awareness and support for these
initiatives by collecting and sharing stories of
rural renewal, providing practical assistance and
networking opportunities for those working to
improve rural America, and fostering connections
between urban and rural people.
As always, you can support our work by purchasing books from the Renewing the Countryside store. We're grateful to the Beim Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Emma B. Howe Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation, the Bush Foundation, The Brico Fund and North Central SARE, for contributing to our work. |
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Contact Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
email:
info@rtcinfo.org
phone:
1-866-378-0587
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